Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-06-24
GREAT BANK ROBBERY.
BY JULIAN HAWTHORNE.
Founded upon notes from the diary of Inspec-
tor Byrnes.
Copyrighted 1851.
CHAPTER T.

On Sunday morning, October %, 1878,
the sun rose clear, snd shone along the
avenues of New York city. 1t was be-
tween half past and O clock when the
light first struck the pavements, and few
people were abroad. On Saturday night
the weeks work is done, the wage
workers are paid of, and such of them
as can afford it (oT think they
cam proceed to relax themselves With
whatever species OF amusement is best
suited to their several tastes. The
theaters are more crowded than on any
other night during The week, and SO,
likewise, are the music halls and dives
in the lower qusrters OF the city. The
LIQUOR saloons do g roaring trade,
and their customers, boisterous with
beer and whisky, are more apt than
ST other times to take an airing beyond
the bounds of propriety. The police who
patrol the slumS prepare themselves for
extra work on Saturday nights, and the
police stations, as q rule, are more than
usually crowded by the next morning,
The miner class of pickpockets and high
waymen, who ply their trade in the city
thoroughfares, DO their most remunera-
tive work among the Saturday night mer
Tymgkers; for then every pocket has
money IN it, and large proportion of
brains are more or less thrown off their
guard by liquor. In short, there is gen
ersl Saturnalia-or SeturdaYnalia, 1t
might be termed-the reaction from the
six days strain of business, with the
prospect Of g thirty-siX hours vacation.
But On Sunday morning the scene is
very different. TIE carousers are sleep
ing OF the effect of their nights excuses,
and even those who have no such cause
for lying sbed are in no hurry TO get up;
for the shops and offices are ell closed,
and there is nothing in prospect more
pressing than sn hour in church or
s2UC-er in the park. The thieves have
gone to their dens TO count over their
gains and make plans for the ensuing
week, aud even The police abale the sharp
ness OF their outlook little, aud dandle
their clubs with q degege air, as being
merely ornamental appendages. They
h8v5 the streets pretty much to them
selves until long after dawn. Here and
there Bridget or Polly hurries along in
her holiday costume 10 early mass, or
Hans and Gretchen, with the early
habits of the Vaterland, stroll side by
side, plegmatiC snd pbilanderng. And
there is an sristOcratic looking gentle
man, his evening dress showing through
the open front Of his Overcoat, his face
pale and mis- eyes heavy; he stops st the
entrance of one Of the fashionable
bachelor apartment houses, and Stabs at
the lock with his pass-key. You will not
see him at church to-day, nor in the park
either. There is no one else about now
except the private Sunday wGtchmsn,
whose duty it is to stand guard during
the day over the banks and business
buildings in the lower part of the city.
The employment of these men might
seem almost q superfuous precaution;
surely these massive and impenetrsbIe-
locking buildings would be no less secure
without their presence than with it, at
least during the daytime.
The night between October % and p,
IN the year named, had passed off more
quietly than usual, and there was moth
Ing to indicate that there would be any
alteration in this agreeable state of things
during the day. At $3.50 Broadway, from
he Battery to Fourteenth street, was al
most as empty rs the corridor of g sum-
mer hotel IN December. At about that
hour, however, an Italian peanut vender
came down Blocker street, pushing be-
fore him 8 tWo-wheeled hsndcart, con-
tanning his stock in trade. On reaching
the southeast corner Of Blocker street
and Broadway he halted, uncovered his
wares and made his preparations for the
dXy's business. The corner was a good
one for trade and the Italian had not sell
dom netteG SIS much as So during 8 day.
But he could scarcely expect business to
begin quite SO soon. Meanwhile, he
leaned mis- shoulders against the corner
building behind MIN and stared idly
across the way at the large, old-fasmoned
cdItiCe which confronted him on the other
side Of the street.
Let Us also turn our attention for g
moment in the same direction. The edi-
flee in question was built of brick over
laid with plaster, painted dark reddish
brown hue; It WIS six stories in height,
and entirely free from any architectural
ornament, except as regarded the main
entrance, which opened on Broadway.
This was emphasized by sort of shallow
pOrtiCO, apparently OF iron, painted of a
darker tint than the plaster and protected
by q strong iron-barred gate. Over the
pOrticO, and immediately below the win
dow Of the first floor, was model of a
beehive, with bees clustering about it, the
whole enriched with gliding, now some
what furnished by the elements. The de-
sign was of course symbolical,
being intended as an emblem of
the wise thrift of those who
store up their riches against The
w!ntry season of want, instead of sQuan
dering SIS It came 10 hand And why
should such su emblem be placed over
the doorway Of this particular building?
a glance st the inscription beneath an
sWers the question. This is the building
Of the Manhattan Savings Institution, one
Of the best known and solideSt concerns
OF its kind in the city. Its officers and
directors are among the most trust
wCrlBy men in New York, and
behind the steel doors of the great
vault are concealed millions Of money,
the aggregate Of the savings of. many
thousand CcpOsitUTs, most OF them per-
sons Of very limited means. Tie Man
Dsttsn Savings Institution has had sn I'M
interrupted career of prosperity for now
,nany ears, ana its impregnable aspect
behind its iron gates gives assurance that
its fortunate career is destined to an in
definite continuance
Almost as effective for safety as the
iron gates are the immense plate glass
windows which extend over the entire
Broadway front OF the edidce, to within
less tn&u three feet Of the floor. Other
windows succeed one another elong the
Bleocksr street side, so that the whole
interior Of the banking room is open to
the Eght of day and can be commanded
II glance by every passenger on the
sidewalk II is true that the vault itself
is partly concealed by the screen or per-
tition which also covers the space occu-
ried IN the desks of the clerks. hut he